Ancestors lost in the crowd?
New to family history research?
Perhaps these articles on our website may help:
Census 1841 - 1911
Birth, Death and Marriage Registration
The London Gazette
Newspaper archives
Trade Directories
History of Waltham Abbey
Waltham Abbey, Market Square 1921
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection.
Welcome to the home page for the History of Waltham Abbey and its inhabitants.
Below you find links to a range of sources transcribed by History House. Further below under 'more local history sources' you will find to links to other places on the web where you can continue your research.
For other locations in Essex see our alphabetical list of Essex towns and villages.
White's Directory of Essex 1848
WALTHAM-ABBEY, or WALTHAM HOLY CROSS, is a small ancient market town, on the east side of the river Lea, about >>more.
White's Directory of Essex 1848 - list of inhabitants.
White's Directory of Essex 1863
White's Directory of Essex 1863 - list of inhabitants.
Essex Almanac 1866
Essex Almanac of 1866 - a description of Waltham Abbey.
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874
Post Office Directory of Essex 1874 - list of inhabitants.
Waltham Abbey Criminal Cases
Court cases involving Waltham Abbey residents - ongoing project >>more.
Education in Waltham Abbey
Reports and returns on schools and education in Waltham Abbey.
Places to visit
The Royal Gunpowder Mills - for an explosive day out
Images and Maps
Images and maps of Waltham Abbey supplied by Francis Frith.
Waltham Abbey Poor
Under the Poor Law of 1834, Waltham Abbey became part of the Edmonton Union. See our article on researching your workhouse and pauper ancestors.
My Waltham Abbey Ancestors
Are your ancestors from Waltham Abbey? Why not tell us their story: My Ancestors.
More local history sources
Ebay is now a great source for old images of Essex towns and villages. If you're looking for pictures to add to your family tree album, then try one of the auctions, or there are several 'Buy It Now' shops offering postcards which have been touched up and improved - so if you're unsure about bidding, try these. Link already formatted for Essex. Browse through or type the name of the location in the Ebay search box. >>
Also on Ebay are legal documents on vellum. This link is formatted for Essex. (Sometimes I think these should be in an archive.) >>
Books featuring Waltham Abbey from Abebooks. Just click the logo. The search terms are already formatted for Waltham Abbey.
Search for Waltham Abbey census returns at ancestry.co.uk.
1841 England Census | 1851 England Census
| 1861 England Census
1871 England Census | 1881 England Census
| 1891 England Census
1901 England Census
The Essex Record Office: an excellent starting point for research. The ERO has an online catalogue by the name of SEAX and a database of Parish Records held in the ERO. Access to both via their home page.
Wikipedia entry with a brief history of Waltham Abbey and of the Abbey.
Archeological history of Waltham Abbey on the Essex County Council's Unlocking Essex.
Web site of Waltham Abbey Church.
Web site of the Royal Gun Powder Mills.
1881 Ordnance Survey Map from the British History Online web site (Essex: 057, Ordnance Survey 1:10,560: Epoch 1.0).
Ordnance Survey - type the place name in the gazetteer search box to view detailed map of Waltham Abbey.
Images of England web site which has a photographic record of England's listed buildings - from the grandest house to the humblest cottage. Enter the town or village in the search box. Photographs are accompanied by a detailed architectural description of the property.